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Category Archives: Elementary Art Activity

Here is a great Earth Day activity for you! Make a tree out of recycled materials! It is fun and everyone’s art will turn out differently and be individual to that specific child or student. What a great way to teach about other ways to recycle things outside the ordinary way of plastics, glass, cardboard, paper, etc. Have fun with this, really try to make it your own and put your own spin on it.

Materials Needed (to make one tree):

One paper towel roll (empty of course)

Recycled greens – cut out of magazines, you could also use real leaves

Paper bag

Glue

Scissors

Cardboard (cut out like a presentation board)

Blue paint and a paint brush

Directions:

You first start by painting the cardboard (picture has blue, but you can use any color). Then, using your paper towel roll and brown paper bags construct your tree. While that is drying (may want to let it dry over night) find what you are going to use as leaves, whether they are real or just green areas from old magazines. Add quotes to the bottom if you so choose. Let it dry and each student will have their very own tree.

Appropriate Age Level:

This would be a fun activity for 3rd or 4th graders, but you could also use this as a “buddy” project (join with an older or younger class and have them work together) to create art for your school!

Homemade puffy paint! This would be a fun activity to do when you are talking about the rainbow. You could even incorporate Roy G. Biv (from Reading Rainbow – if you remember that from school). If you are doing a unit on the rain cycle, you could use this activity when you get to what causes a rainbow, or just for fun!

Materials:

One squeeze bottle for each color – old ketchup bottles would work just perfectly

One Cup Salt

One Cup Flour

One Cup Water

Food Coloring – Tempra Paints works well too

Construction Paper – or whatever paper you would like to use your puffy paint on

Directions:

Put the salt, flour, water and a good squirt of food coloring into the squeeze bottle. Shake the bottle to mix ingredients, and have fun! I would advise to make this before class, rather than having the class make their own.

Appropriate Age Level:

I think this would be fun to do by myself, but in a school I would say to do it in the middle levels. It would be really fun to with a first or second grade level to do a unit on the rain cycle, then paint one with the puffy paint.

This would be a fun activity for fall when the leaves are changing, but you could also do this for spring when trees are blooming. You can do a whole unit on trees or just nature in general. Have your students make up a story about someone with this tree (kind of like The Giving Tree – although this book as been said to be sexist, use discretion).

Materials:

Enough 8 1/2 by 11 paper (or bigger if you would like)

Paints (I would suggest regular acrylic paint – ask the Art teacher if you don’t have in your classroom)

Lots and Lots of Q-Tips for them to paint the leaves on with

Paint Brush

Directions:

You can do this one of two possible ways. If you are working with younger students you can paint the tree trunk and outline where the leaves are supposed to go. Or, if you are working with older students you can just let them free hand their tree trunk. Then you take your q-tips, dip in the different colors and let your trees bloom.

Appropriate Age Level:

In my opinion – which is really the only one you get while reading my blog – I would keep this within the lower levels and possibly the middle grades. This could also be a really fun activity in a special education classroom.

Oh hey, you are doing a unit on sea animals! I have the perfect art activity for you. Have the students make their very own underwater aquarium. It is very easy and looks great on your windows! This could be fun even to do at home to decorate a large window or the back door.

Materials Needed:

Printed/Colorable sea animals, plants, and anything else from the sea

Black Construction Paper

Blue Transparency Paper

Kid-Friendly Scissors

Markers, Crayons, or Colored Pencils

Glue Sticks

Directions:

The aquariums I saw were about 15in. x 12in. After you get the blue transparency paper cut, cut out small strips of black construction paper (about one inch wide) and glue them around the sides. Have the students color in their under the sea creatures, then cut them out. Make sure when they are gluing the creatures to their aquariums they put the glue on the colored side. This way they will be able to see them the right way when you hang them on the windows.

Appropriate Age Level:

This could be fun for any age level. I actually found this idea at one of the special education rooms I work in. The only thing I would recommend for the younger levels is that you put the aquariums together, this is less cutting for them, but they still get to practice using a scissors.

Found At:

I found this activity in one of the special education I do a practicum in. For her class, she prepared the aquariums ahead of time.

Make your own puzzle! You can have your students make puzzles having to do with the unit you are working on (i.e. if you are doing a unit on fish have them make a puzzle about fish). When the students are done, you can have them switch and put their classmates puzzles together. This activity would also work really well with pictures, possibly ones the students were able to take.

Materials Needed:

Popsicle Sticks – 10-15 for each student

Pencils

Markers or Crayons

Masking Tape

Rubber Bands – enough for each student

Directions:

Lay the popsicle sticks right up against each other on a desk or table and put a piece, or two, of masking tape going the opposite way of the sticks. Flip over, so the tape is not in the way, start sketching out the picture with your pencil. Trace and color in your picture, take off the tape and you have a homemade puzzle. To keep each puzzle together wrap it up with a rubber band to keep organized.

Appropriate Age Level:

I think this specific activity would work really well with the lower and middle elementary levels. I feel they would enjoy making and putting together. I may be fun to work with another class on this, and switch one class’ puzzles for the others.

Spring is coming! Birds are here, let’s give them somewhere to make their home! Through this activity we will be making a bird house using a recycled milk jug! This would be an awesome project to do if you are doing a unit on birds! This way the will bring home what they learn in class. You can take your students on a bird watch hike to get some of the materials, such as sticks and leaves. While on the hike, you can have your students do a scavenger hunt of different birds they will find in your area. You can also just do this as a fun family project for the back yard.

Materials Needed:

Scissors – adult will need to do the cutting if you are doing this project with younger children

Hole Punch – optional

Gallon Milk Jug – can have the students each bring one

Paint Brush – enough for everyone, or you can talk about sharing

Green Acrylic Paint – other colors can be used if you prefer

Sticks – a lot, enough for every roof and a perch (can find if you decide to do the hike)

Hot Glue or Adhesive – Elmer’s Glue should work just fine as well

Old Metal Hangers – can have the students each bring one

Directions:

First you will have to make a big hole a little below the middle of the milk jug with the scissors, again have an adult cut this hole. Then take the hole punch and make a hole right below the larger one. Next, paint the milk jug with the acrylic paint. Once the paint has dried, punch the two holes on top of the milk jug to attach the hanger. Glue the sticks to the “roof” of the bird house and a few around the sides. Attach the perch, and put out in your back or front yard to enjoy.

Appropriate Age Level:

This activity could go with a variety of different ages, heck I might make this for my dad for father’s day and I am 20 years old. I would recommend if you are going to do this with a class of lower level students, have a sixth grade buddy (or a different upper level grade) help out with the project. You could also have upper level students do this for Earth Day (which is coming up soon)!

For this activity you could be doing a unit on jellyfish, or just simply be interested in jellyfish. It does not necessarily need to be a classroom project, you can just make them to decorate your classroom. They are fun and colorful, and students would love them.

Materials Needed:

Small Paper Bowls – one for every jellyfish you are planning on making

Watercolor Paints

Watercolor Paint brushes

White and Black Paper

Scissors

Liquid Adhesive , Hot Glue, or Elmer’s Glue – your choice

Fishing Line

Ribbon – as many different kinds as you would like

Directions:

Paint the bottom of the bowl with the watercolor paint. Then, cut out the eyes, whatever size you would like, and glue them onto the front of the jellyfish (you can also draw them on with makers). Glue the ribbon to the part of the bowl you have painted (you can stick to using the same color scheme, or have multicolored tentacles). When the the glue has dried, poke two small holes into the top of the bowl to thread the fish line through. Make sure to have the fish line loop underneath the bowl, tie more ribbon to the loop. Now you have cute little jellyfish to add to your lesson.

Appropriate Age Level:

If you are going to have everyone in your classroom make a jellyfish, I would keep this activity to the upper levels (unless you are doing this with “buddies”). Definitely do not use hot glue if you are working with the lower levels.